
There are always a few surprises.
My biggest surprise for Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day this October 15th is that I still have a bright, green healthy tomato plant with new blooms on it.
A month ago, this tomato plant, like most of the vegetable garden, seemed destined for an early visit to the compost bin, after a very dry August and September.
Instead, it is showing me what a little bit of rain followed by a few warm days will do to perk up a plant, and a gardener.
But, alas, it isn't going to last. After near record high temperatures this past weekend, by Friday our high temperature will be 57 F. I'm sure a frost is in the near future, too.
Elsewhere in the garden, there are some mums still blooming.
These will still be blooming in November, and will join some pansies that I planted in September as the last bits of color in the garden as we head into the winter.
The asters started a big show just a week or so after the last bloom day in September.They are a little beyond peak now but are still attracting quite a few bees.
Back out in the vegetable garden, the nasturtiums also made a comeback after some recent rain.I like how they add some late fall color to the otherwise dreary vegetable garden so I'll plant these again next year. Plus, look how pretty that variegated foliage is. I love variegated foliage.
And here's the last "new" bloom in my garden, the toad lilies, Tricyrtis hirta.The toad lilies aren't particularly showy, but I like freckled flowers and plant names like "toad lily", so I'll always try to have some in my fall garden.
The rest of the garden is spotted with some straggly, leftover flowers... a rose or two from my one rose shrub, a few blooms on some Potentilla, some coneflowers, a confused daylily, to mention a few.
It's not the absolute end of the garden for this year, but it is getting pretty close. I'm going to try to nurture a few of the flowers along, so that perhaps what Elizabeth Lawrence said, “We can have flowers nearly every month of the year”, can be true at May Dreams Gardens, too.
*****
What's blooming in your garden in October? Join us for Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day by posting on your blog about the blooms in your garden on the 15th of the month, then leave a comment here so we can find your blog and stop by for a virtual visit in your garden. All are welcome to participate!
Comments
Lots of colour variety in your garden it seems. Will you be using horticultural fleece to see some plants through frosty nights?
Don't the months fly by! It hardly seems more than a week ago that I was mooching round my garden, trying to find something presentable. That was September.
A month on, and the garden seems beset with jewels. It is overwhelmingly beautiful and predominantly red.
For those not daunted by vermillion and other vibrant shades of red, please take a look
here
Your 'blooming mums' had me confused for a second, and then I remembered ;-)
I just discovered two blooming, selfseeded tomatoe plants in my garden!
My post is up!
Have a great week!
/Katarina
My moon-themed Bloom Day post should be up by the time you read this.
I have to agree with you that the garden is always slightly different each year. GBBD posts are showing this – thanks once again for hosting this :-D
I have plants flowering out of season for my GBBD posting and others like the Japanese anemones that started too early and will run out of steam at a time I usually enjoy seeing them.
I love your toad lilies – both for the name and flower too. You certainly still have plenty going on in your garden. Let’s hope you get enough rain to keep it going a little longer :-D
We've already had some frost here in PA, but there are still flowers and more to share. My post is up at http://hayefieldhouse.com/.
Happy Bloom Day!
My post is up.
Regards
Karen
here.
Frances
We might have the same chrysanthemum, do you think?
Very envious of your toadlilies, mine seem to have croaked it, alas.
My GBBD post is up too. Happy GBBD!
I am remembering that I left off a red flowering nasturtium that got a late start blooming, catmint, and something else I'm not remembering from my list.
Sue
http://perennialgardener.wordpress.com/
Our garden is definitely winding down this bloom day, but I did find some blooms, and my post is up.
Thank you for hosting GBBD!
I loved the shot of the asters...enlarging it gave me a peak into the whole space. Happy Bloom Day.
Gail
It is amazing you still have tomatoes, and surprisingly your weather forecast is similar to ours. I've got my bloom day post up. Happy GBBD to you.~~Dee
This is the first time I've joined Bloom Day. Thanks for giving me an excuse to enjoy my October blooms.
My Bloom Day post will be up in a couple of hours.
Glad I took pix yesterday as this morning it is raining. So not sure how long my last flowers will remain looking good. Now for coffee and to settle in and visit other gardeners to see what they have
Here's my address: http://eachlittleworld.typepad.com/
I've got my post up for Bloom Day.
Here's my post:
What's Blooming in October?
My bloom day post is here:
http://calgarygardencoach.typepad.com/calgarygardencoach/2008/10/whats-blooming-oct-15-in-calgary-zone-3.html
Janice
http://heirloomgardener.blogspot.com/2008/10/garden-bloggers-bloom-day-autumn.html
http://www.yardisgreen.blogspot.com/
Your garden's looking lovely as ever. My tomatoes are behaving strangely too - but that's a story for another day.
In the meantime, I've found an unexpectedly large number of flowers to show you this month. Some have been shown before, but there's new ones too :)
I have to say the toad lilys are my favorites though. I've always enjoyed their blooms.
My post is ready here.
Violet
My post is up, it's a soft rainy day.
My October bloom post is short, but at least it's longer than last month's....
My post is up at http://jendisjournal.com/gardenvines/2008/10/whats-blooming-in-your-garden/
Great blooms for this late in the year. I need not say anything about your asters vs. chrysanthemum photo; although I must say your pink/purple chrysanthemum looks quite soft and beautiful!
The links to Steve Silk's post for GBBD on GGW is:
http://www.gardeninggonewild.com/?p=2055#more-2055.
Fran
My small blooms day post is up.
I don't have a bloom day post this month - but I'm enjoying having a look at everyone else's.
ICQB
I would give up just yet on blooms. Just when I think our garden has done all it can do. It proves me wrong!
My First Bloom Day!
I do like the toad lilies.
My post is now up. Thanks for hosting GBBD!
HM
We've been warm and sunny here too, but by Friday we're looking at the same temps you are. I've enjoyed the last few summer days.
Here's what's still blooming in my Ohio garden:
http://www.motherearthsgarden.com/october-garden-bloggers-bloom-day/
Here's what I have going on: http://www.mybitofearth.net/2008/10/milkweed-pouf.html
Mine is finally up at:
http://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2008/10/sunny-garden-bloggers-bloom-day.html.
Debbi
Those asters are still giving quite a show in your garden. The toad lilies are an interesting bloom for autumn, too.
I planted a fall veggie garden back in September and all is well so far. And look at you with a healthy tomato plant blooming in October!
If anyone has a chance to pop over to my Florida garden, my GBBD post is up here.
Thanks, as always, for the fun, Carol.
Meems@Hoe&Shovel
My post is up.
I am so glad you started this stuff!
I have a very similar toad lily to yours, and a few other blooms. One is distinctly out of season...
http://metaphyta.blogspot.com/2008/10/bloom-day-october-15-2008.html
Your toad lily is wonderful and as for pink chrysanthemums...well, some of us have them but don't ever show them in blog photos. My post for GBBD is up. Thanks to you and Elizabeth Lawrence for encouraging all of us to write down what's in flower.
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
Jan
Always Growing
I am feeling overwhelmed looking at all the gardens here, and am loving them all, even when I don't leave comments. I am going to have to finish looking at them tomorrow.
We are probably going to have our first freeze tonight, and I am very sad. Sue in Nebraska, 5b
http://acornergarden.blogspot.com/
I love the toad lilies. I'm going to have to find a spot somewhere so that I may have some of my very own. I have my GBBD post up and running. Believe it or not, there's still a few things blooming up here in Vermont.
Liisa
Jean
And a few other things are blooming at the low spot on a North Carolina mountain top.
http://back40feet.blogspot.com/2008/10/bloom-day_15.html
Your mums are such a gorgeous color!
Love those perky nasturtiums, and the variegated leaves are an added bonus.
I wonder how Toad Lilies got their name :)
My post is up.
Happy Bloom Day, Carol!
http://cottagemagpie.com/gardening/blog/blooming-oct08.html
Thanks for organizing this for us every month, we all really appreciate it!
~Angela :-)
My Blooms' Day post is up too.
post ..thank you for hosting and allowing us sunshine when viewing all
blooms in Oct.!
http://nature-trail.blogspot.com/2008/10/in-my-garden.html
I'm another toad lily fan too - gorgeous things. I had one until the drought hit a few years ago but will plant again soon...
http://dreambit1.blogspot.com/2008/10/garden-bloggers-bloom-day-october.html
Your garden seems like it's hanging on longer than last year. Your mums look like these dahlias that I have. They are beautiful and I usually don't care much for mums. My tomatoes are still producing but that is kind of normal for here.
I hope your frost doesn't come too soon.
Enjoy.
As always, thanks for doing this!
http://bannersbyricki.com/index.php
will get you to my site. Thanks for visiting!
Here's my post.
http://atidewatergardener.blogspot.com/2008/10/bloom-day-delayed-not-bloom-day-denied.html
Thank You!
New to this, but very excited to join (albeit very late . . . ). Will remember for the following months!! What a beautiful idea.
My post.
Tracey